04.01-- Abstract No:749
The Semiotic Interpretation (SI) of QM pushes further the Von Neumann point of view that 'experience only makes statements of this type: an observer has made a certain observation; and never any like this: a physical quantity has a certain value.'
The supposition that the observables of a system 'possess' objective values is purely idealistic. According to the SI view, the state-vector collapse cannot result from the Schroedinger evolution of a system (even with its environment) , but only from the empirical production of a mathematical symbol, existing in its own and irreducible to the quantum level. The production of a symbol always takes some time. Thus the state-vector collapse cannot be instantaneous (Schneider 1994) , a specific prediction of the present model.
From this interpretation of Quantum Mechanics, the appearances of the body are the result of state-vector collapses of several types, i.e. the production of different kinds of symbols. In fact the universe of symbols is very rich: a symbol can have a conceptual 'value' (like in physics and then give rise to a measurement) , or other qualitative values (like in many human behaviors) . In the latter case, the Semiotic Interpretation of QM gives a way to understand how a mental representation can modify the state of the body and, for instance, lead to somatic symptoms.
04.01-- Abstract No:769
The quantum mechanical description of nature as a duality between an unvisualizable dynamics and a visualizable concretization, the latter corresponding to reduction of the state vector when a measurement is made is shown to have a correspondance in computation. Namely, a conceptual structure called the field (of real numbers, say) and its operations, and the concretization of that structure by means of a measuring apparatus called a (digital) computer. The probabalistic, computable state reduction operator of quantum mechanics is replaced by a deterministic noncomputable operation, an extension of rounding. States, wavefunction, dynamics, observation, uncertainty and non locality are shown to have their counterparts in the new model, toward an example of a new physics as forecast by R. Penrose (upon which to base a study of mind) . The algorithmic counterpart of the double slit experiment to validate the existence of interference in the new framework is defined and performed. A notion of spin in computation is introduced.
04.01-- Abstract No:775
Much has been made of the possible role played by wave function collapse in the physics of consciousness. However, no clear agreement regarding the ontology of this ostensible epistemic intrusion by the 'observer' into physical systems has yet emerged.
The author proposes that the principle obstacle to such consensus stems from a misidentification of the 'observer' with the macroscale. A new, more adequate definition of the conscious 'observer' must raise to the level of an axiom the principle that the scale of the observing self relative to the observed system cannot be specified. This stipulation may eventually pull together the statistics of the uncertainty principle with those of quantum field theory in a single overarching symmetry relation with a group algebra requiring no renormalization. In such a construct, measure theory might expand to incorporate not only classical but also Bose-Einstein and Fermi-Dirac statistics.
Two implications should issue from this model. First, the non-Abelian character of its triune statistical structure should generate symmetry-breaking to explain our currently mistaken distinction between scales of observer and observed. Second, neurophysiological phenomena should exhibit not only classical statistical behaviors and Bose-Einstein coherences (among rather than within brains) but also internal Fermi-Dirac antisymmetries.
04.01-- Abstract No:812
At fuest glance it seems that quantum mechanics cannot support the idea that the universe is alive. The reason for this is the following: QM, just like classical physics, is based on what Erwin Schrödinger called 'the principle of objectivation': 'Without being aware of it and without being rigorously systematic about it, we exclude the Subject of Cognizance from the domain of nature that we endeavour to understand. We step with our own person backinto the part of an onlooker who does not belong to the world, which by this very procedure becomes an objective world' (1) .
Since, as Schrödinger put it, denial of the aliveness of and in the universe is a basic implicit assumption of the methodology of science, such aliveness cannot appear as a consequence of a scientific theory, such as QM.
And yet . . . among the philosophical systems of the 20th century, Alfred North Whitehead's 'Process Philosophy' (2) has a unique place. It is a rigoroussystem of thought which affirms the aliveness of the universe and all entities within it. Surprisingly, J. M. Burgers (3) discovered that Whitehead's system can provide QM with a metaphysical foundation. Burgers' work was developed by A. Shimony (4) , H. Stapp (5) and others, including myself (6) . I believe that the relationship between Whitehead's philosophy and QM can be formulated as follows: QM agrees with Process Philosophy to the extent that a theory that is based on the principle of objectivation can agree with it. More specifically, QM can br interpreted in terms of the objectivized elements of Whitehead's philosophy. One can conclude, therefore, that QM does indicate that the universe is alive to the extent that such an indication can be procided by a scientific theory.
References: 1. E. Schrödinger, Mind and Matter, Cambridge, at the University Press, 1958, p. 37.
2. A. N. Whitehead, Process and Reality, corrected edition, edited by D.R. Griffin and D. W. Sherburne, the Free Press, New York, 1978.
3. J. M. Burgers, Rev. Mod. Phys. 35, 145 (1963) .
4. A. Shimony, in Boston Studies in the Phihy of Science, Vol. II, edited by S. Cohen and M. W. Wartofsky, Humanities Press, New York, 1968.
5. H. P. Stapp, Found. Phys. 9, p. 1 (1979) and 12, p. 363 (1982) .
6. S. Malin, Found. Phys. 18, p. 1035 (1988) and see references cited there.
04.01-- Abstract No:816
The distinction between ontic and epistemic interpretations of physical theories (due to Scheibe) is useful to distinguish between different kinds of realism. Broadly speaking, epistemic interpretations refer to systems as they are empirically accessible in the sense of conventional engineering science -- the domain of empirical, local, common-sense realism. Ontic interpretations refer to closed systems which are empirically inaccessible in principle -- the domain to which quantum theoretical holism applies, giving rise to an independent, context-free, holistic realism. By definition, the acts of observation and measurement are crucial elements to connect those two domains of realism. Following Primas, the distinction of ontic versus epistemic interpretations will be discussed in the framework of algebraic quantum theory. The corresponding formalism is much more precise than that used for other existing interpretations of quantum theory and has contributed to a better understanding of a number of features such as measurement, superselection, irreversibility, and others.
Though the conceptual framework of an ontic/epistemic distinction together with its algebraic codification is very appealing, it is still too simplistic to account for situations in which holistic and local elements occur at the same level of description. This is particularly relevant for hierarchical complex systems. To deal with such situations, the concept of 'relative onticity' (inspired by Quines 'ontological relativity') is introduced. It allows us to talk about referents of an interpretation ontically or epistemically, depending on the level of description that is used. Example: An atomic nucleus is considered epistemic with respect to the descriptive level of elementary particle physics, but it is considered ontic with respect to the descriptive level of molecular chemistry or biology. The concept of relative onticity leads to many realisms in the sense of many levels of description with ontic and epistemic referents at each level. It may be speculated that at some very basic level of onticity the distinction of mental and material domains of reality becomes irrelevant. The question remains to be clarified whether this level is already covered by contemporary quantum theory.
04.01-- Abstract No:832
Progress in the post-quantum physics of consciousness will be reported. In particular, we will report on the prospect for a 'Q-chip' in which the Hameroff microtubule model is implemented in an artificial nano-engineered architecture. Post-quantum physics is to quantum physics as general relativity is to special relativity. Post-quantum physics is in accord with David Chalmers's criterion for a physical explanation of consciousness. It naturally explains the 'spontaneous self-organization' that Stuart Kauffman discusses in his book, At Home in the Universe.
04.01-- Abstract No:839
The emergence of consciousness/behaviour must be seen in the context of biological evolution. Biological evolution must be seen as part of a single stream of interconnected events since the beginning of space-time, rather than as an event unconnected with the evolution of the universe.
Space-time began about 15 000 million years ago. This was followed by the formation of the four forces, particles (quarks, electrons etc.) the elements, stars, galaxies, planet earth about 4 000 millions years ago, and the rapid appearance of life. Species, accompanied by a mode of behaviour and increasing consciousness, multiplied, and some became extinct. Homo sapiens appeared about 180 000 years ago.
The fundamental nature of matter is the subject of quantum mechanics. The formalism or mathematics of quantum mechanics is agreed by all, but its meaning or interpretation is disputed. The principal interpretations are the standard or Copenhagen, the many universes, and the Bohmian interpretations. The paper is based on the Bohmian interpretation.
The Bohmian interpretation states that a particle (i.e. matter) is a unity of a particle and a field or wave. This wave (function) is an objective entity, not a mathematical device as in the Copenhagen interpretation. It has properties that suggest that it may be regarded as containing objective and active information. The analogy between mind and matter may be seen.
In Bohmian quantum mechanics the wave function guides particles on a predetermined course. All the equations are fully deterministic. There is no collapse of the wave function, and there is a seamless transition from the quantum to the classical levels. According to this interpretation the state of the universe is determined by its wave function.
Hylomorphism, first developed by Aristotle, is the doctrine that concrete substance consists of form in matter (hyle) . The mind or anima is the form of the body. Everything in the universe consists of these two elements. Each thing is form to the one below and matter to the one above. Form is always superior to matter, and may even be called its cause. Cosmological evolution is one form succeeding another. Biological evolution is, likewise, one form succeeding another.
Hylomorphism has a number of advantages over the other theories of mind/matter. It has the possibility of accounting for the appearance of species (botanical and biological) and their form. It also explains the unity of mind/anima and matter, without denying their dual existence. Animals are a unity of mind/anima and matter, not a union of these two elements. The mind/anima is the same as the wave function. The anima informs matter with the information contained in its wave function, which is a component of the wave function of the universe.
An integrated theory will be developed.
04.01-- Abstract No:919
A quantum perspective without mathematics
Anyone who tries to interpret quantum mechanics is impressed by how like a psychological story the theory seems. The theory puts limits on what we as physical actors embedded in a physical reality can say about what that reality is and how it changes. A spectrum of superposed possible states of a system is transformed into a unique actual state by a mysterious interaction of what may be subject and object. Thus the subject plays a causal role in deciding the features of the ontic landscape and an interesting concept of free will is embedded in science. As an outline theory of embodied subjectivity and agency, and of the physical state of consciousness, quantum theory looks good.
A mathematical proof that we are not robots
It may seem that a quantum theory of mind is not needed, that a classical theory of brain function can suffice. Computers are classical machines. They are centralized, sequential, deterministic machines. The classical paradigm suggests that humans are robots with mental software running on bodily hardware. This paradigm dominates work in artificial intelligence. Yet human brains are not computers. They are highly distributed, only loosely synchronized, and only approximately deterministic. The brain is more like the Internet than like a computer. But fatally for classical theory, the brain supports a subject that has phenomenal experience in an ongoing present. Quantum theory should accommodate these facts.
A hypothesis with experimental consequences
Groups of neurons in the conscious brain synchronize their neural firings to form decahertz waves. These waves are electromagnetic, and correspond to photons with frequencies of order 50 Hz and energies of order 200 feV, thousands to millions of times less than the photons used to carry radio and television signals and a hundred billion times less than thermal photons at body temperature. If EM waves are synchronized, then the photons can form extended coherent states and amplify quantum superpositions to macroscopic scales. Decahertz photons in the cerebral cortex may form macroscopic coherent states that collapse due to thermal interference. These speculations can be tested experimentally. One can further speculate that the collapse of such states could process information by deciding finely balanced alternatives, and that the states themselves could reflect phenomenal manifolds. This may be a foundation for a quantum theory of consciousness.
A phenomenological generalization of the self
If coherent photon states reflect phenomenal manifolds, then a continuing and stepwise evolving such state might represent the introspecting subject. The subject and its evolving phenomenal object might form the complementary aspects of a single quantum entity. When subject and object are thus defined as equal and opposite, both evolving in a decahertz dialectic of ongoing epistemo-ontic determination of the self and the external world, the contemporary psychology of personhood becomes less central, and comparable, say, to a classification of seashells.
04.01-- Abstract No:944
When is a duck? It may look like a duck, walk like a duck and quack like a duck but it could still be a hallucinatory (subjective-first person) duck rather than a real or robot (objective-third person) duck. My talk will be about the reality of first person experience. This issue has been brought to the awareness of the general public though the ending of Carl Sagan's book and movie "CONTACT". Whether we are talking about ducks, God, extraterrestrials, or consciousness, the issues are similar. Sagan's book's ending suggests that the framework of science demands that objective evidence is needed to establish the objective reality of first person experience. I will take a different point of view and point out that quantum mechanics suggests a duality between the subjective and objective worldviews, such that the subjective worldview may not be objectifiable. To clarify these issues I will examine the connection of quantum mechanics to consciousness.
Two questions will be examined:
(1) Is quantum mechanics needed to understand the neural correlates of consciousness? The answer to this question is not known at present. Some people such as Penrose, Hameroff and Stapp believe the answer is a definite 'yes'. Most other researchers are much more skeptical. I will discuss the types of past and future experiments and phenomena (mainly chosen from visual perception and visual neurophysiology) that can help answer this question. An unavoidable topic also to be discussed is the notion of pan- experientialism (a milder form of pan-psychism) .
(2) Is the dualistic framework of quantum mechanics useful for understanding the connection of the subjective and objective worldviews? This question is made a bit murky by the presence of multiple interpretations of quantum mechanics. Each interpretation can be associated with a different understanding of the mind-brain connection. The Heisenberg-collapse picture has gained great relevance to consciousness through the work of Stapp. The Bohm, realist picture allows an almost mechanist connection between mind and brain. The moveable split picture that I champion, has, I believe, the right structure for connecting the subjective and objective realms.
I will argue that confusion between these two questions is widespread, even among advocates of the relevance of a quantum framework. Many people who are skeptical about question one (are the neural correlates based on quantum effects) automatically dismiss the relevance of quantum mechanics without considering the philosophical issue of question two. By separating these two questions I believe that one gains greater insight into the relevance of quantum mechanics to consciousness.
04.01-- Abstract No:972
According to Hameroff/Penrose's much debated theory, certain anatomic structures of neurons, so-called microtubules, are assumed to be responsible for the occurrence of consciousness. This view is based on the following three assumptions:
(P1) Human intelligence is able to gain insight into the truth of metamathematical results, e.g., the famous Gödel theorems, which cannot be proven by mere algorithms. Therefore human mind, or the working of the human brain, itself is not 'computable'.
(P2) On the other hand, the brain must be scientifically explainable. Because of P1, the physics underlying its working cannot be either classical, deterministic physics or neoclassical quantum physics because these theories only provide 'computable' explanations. Only a hitherto unknown theory of quantum gravity will ever be able to explain the processes of the human brain.
(P3) The place where such a new 'physics of consciousness' might be causally efficacious is assumed to be hidden in certain microstructures of neurons, to wit microtubules.
From these premises Penrose derives the following core thesis of his theory of consciousness:
(P) Human mind is 'non-computable', and the human brain is not a computer, insofar as the microtubules of the neurons may be influenced by 'non-computable' quantum gravity processes while today's computers obey the laws of deterministic physics and hence always yield only 'computable' processes.
It will be argued that, even if the highly speculative thesis P would be granted a minimal hint of logical possibility, it would still fail to provide any understanding of phenomenal consciousness (in humans and in other animals) . This is so because premises P1-P3 entail the following consequences:
(P4) Since microtubules are present not only in neurons of the human brain, but in all types of cells of animal tissue, any biological event would become 'non-computable'. Therefore today's physics which can only account for 'computable' processes would never be able to explain, e.g., the mechanism of the cilia of a paramecium or the function of the human gallbladder.
(P5) If future technology is going to build 'quantum-computers', the smallest electronic parts of which are structurally modeled in the way of microtubules, then these machines might give rise to 'non-computable' processes. According to Penrose, then, these computers might not only be able to gain insight into the truth of Gödel's theorems, but they might also display the entire spectrum of phenomenal consciousness including human feelings such as love, pain, etc.
The latter conclusion, however, violates Penrose's own intuitions expressed, e.g. as 'a child's view' in [1989: 437]:
(C) 'Is it not obvious that mere computation cannot evoke pleasure or pain; that it cannot perceive poetry or the beauty of an evening sky or the magic of sounds; that it cannot hope or love or despair; that it cannot have a genuine autonomous purpose?'
The main task of this paper consists in revealing the confusions that have lead both Penrose and some of his opponents to doubt the truth of C.
04.01-- Abstract No:1007
I proposed that consciousness could arise from the clash of two kinds of information-quantum mechanical information which I assume is gratuously present everywhere and electromagnetic information which is stored in brains. From the work of Aspect we know that certain kinds of information travels faster than the speed of light. I assume that the quantum mechanical information does so also. The wave velocity of matter waves also go faster than the speed of light. I assume that QM information is updated at speeds similar yo matter waves and I try to explore what kind of clash might occur.
04.01-- Abstract No:1041
The conventional formulation of quantum mechanics calls for the unitary evo- lution of a microscopic system to proceed until interrupted by an act of mea- surement which causes a state reduction. The difficulty of reconciling this "collapse of the wave function" with the deterministic dynamics given by the Schroedinger equation has led some to claim that there is an intrinsic con- nection between quantum state reduction and consciousness -- that QM cannot "dispense with the observer."
Various proposals have been put forth with the goal of rendering the notion of state reduction unnecessary, ranging from the "many-worlds" interpretation of Everett to more recent suggestions such as Penrose's "objective reduction" and Omnes' interpretation based on decoherence and consistent histories. All these proposals, however, relate to aspects of the physics (or perhaps meta- physics) of the quantum domain. They accept as given the mathematics used in both classical and quantum mechanics, which has its logical foundations in axiomatic set theory based on the Zermelo-Frankel axioms.
Alternative models of set theory have been constructed in the investigation of the consistency and independence of various hypotheses (the axiom of choice, the continuum hypothesis, the existence of measurable cardinals, etc.) . One approach to these constructions, due to Scott and Solovay, is the method of Boolean-valued models, in which the truth-values of statements are not chosen from the set {true, false}, but come from some complete Boolean algebra. In particular, Takeuti has developed a class of models in which the Boolean algebra is a set of projections on a Hilbert space. The relevance of these model to quantum mechanics (first pointed out by Davis) lies in the fact that, in such models, the role of the real numbers is played by self-adjoint opera- tors -- the "observables" of quantum theory. This leads to an interpretation of quantum theory in which all measurements are performed relative to a reference frame which is a Boolean algebra of projections. We examine the application of this interpretation to the problem of state reduction and other anomalies of the conventional interpretation.
04.01-- Abstract No:1100
The relevance of Quantum Mechanics to consciousness research depends on the answers to three distinct questions:
1. Does quantum mechanics need consciousness in order to be considered a complete theory? ( for example, Mulhauser and Zurek vs. Stapp and d'Espargant)
2. Do molecular biology in general, and the brain in particular, employ non trivial quantum mechanical mechanisms? ( for example, A. Scott and P. Churchland vs. Penrose, Hameroff and Umezawa) .
3. Is quantum mechanics philosophically relevant? Does it provide the radically new ontology which is needed to make progress on the mind body problem? ( for example, Does quantum mechanics provide us with any advantages in dealing with something like Chalmers hard problem.)
All three problems are currently unresolved. The paper will briefly comment on these matters and go on to concentrate on the second question. Current approaches to the generation and propagation of macroscopic quantum coherent states in bio-molecular systems at room temperature seem to suffer from many problems. I will mention four of them:
a) Treating the environment as possessing a homogeneous energy density spectral function i.e. White noise.vs. a colored environment whose energy density spectral function has a distinct structure. Evolutionary mechanisms like adaptive radiation take advantage of these environmental niches even at the molecular level.
b) What I would call the lack of good numbers. I dont know of any system which is known to exhibit quantum coherence at room temperature, and that is described by a distinct and workable interaction hamiltonian and properly calculated or measured coupling constants.
c) Our inability at the present stage to form a good quantum mechanical description of water ( Which can perhaps be shown to be impossible because of Marsden's theorem on non integrable systems and symplectic simulation.) . It is possible that only water molecules can simulate the behavior of a collection of water molecules responding to the oscillations of some bio-molecule which they surround.
d) Simply saying that the Frohlich mechanism is going to take care of the thermal noise problem is not enough as can be seen from the many competing theories that rely on this mechanism yet differ in their choice of physical substrate.
At this point the paper tries to evaluate the prospects for the existence of quantum coherent states in biological systems. Instead of concentrating on the information theoretic properties of certain biological systems, the paper searches for systems that are very good at generating entropy. This is a necessary condition for any open system that exhibits self organization. If a system is very good at generating entropy it can steal a little order and still not violate the second law of thermodynamics. Strangely this allows for systems that are even better entropy generators and enables successively more sophisticated levels of organization to materialize. So what are we looking for?
a) An open dissipative molecular system that is good at absorbing some low entropy from the environment, and does so because of some unrelated property of the environment. ( For instance the fact that photons in the visible are good at penetrating water.)
b) The system to conserve energy must emit the same amount of energy that it absorbs but emits that energy at a much higher entropy. ( For instance a system that can absorb a photon in the visible at about 1 eV and emits 100 photons at 0.01 eV since E=hv, will be a good entropy generator. This is, in a way , what happens in the Frohlich mechanism.)
c) The environment with its rather inhomogeneous energy spectral function and absorbance spectra, has to strongly absorb the low frequency photons emitted by the system. ( For instance a water environment will absorb strongly at certain frequencies that are associated with the rotational and bending energy bands.)
d) It would be nice to have some feed back loop that would cause an iterative process to unfold. Repetitions give the molecular dynamics a better chance to be affected by some underlying structure despite of noise.
e) A mechanism that offers novel ways to overcome energy dissipation.
f) A mechanism that is more efficient then the environment at converting high frequency photons into low frequency photons.
There are really two ways to shield a quantum coherent state from thermal noise. One way relies on static insulation but is considered unlikely because of the extreme sensitvity of quantum coherent states to interaction with the environment. ( Its hard to imagine a very thin insulating layer that creates a sharp temperature drop.)
The other way views the insulating layer as created by a dynamic process that needs a continuos input of energy. This is the possibility that the paper will consider. More precisely how can we induce quantum coherence in a population of interacting water molecules at room temperature? Without answering this question, theories about the brain and quantum mechanics will run into serious problems.
To end I will try and speculate a bit on a bio-molecular system that possesses properties a) , to f) and has perhaps a chance of generating quantum coherence at room temperature. This attempt is based on two assumptions:
1) That it is perhaps possible to generate quantum coherence in a population of water molecules by having certain protons (like the ones in hydrogen bonds) act as forcing functions and oscillate at some distinct frequency which is not affected by the thermal noise. This is really a generalization of the 'Periodically kicked quantum rotator' (Prenge) which is shown to result in the system's localization in phase space.
2) That it is possible to use a system like the Davydov's Soliton to create such forced oscillations. ( A sound wave that reflects at the ends of a molecule 50 Ang long will typically disturb things along its way about a billion times a second, and that's where water becomes interesting.)
04.01-- Abstract No:1166
The problem of the nature of consciousness has been the central theme of philosophy for some four centuries. Despite these centuries of effort, little progress has been made. Philosophy has singled out alternatives, monistic theories and dualistic possibilities, but philosophy has provided no resolution of the basic question about the nature of consciousness. For us today, concerned with the scientific problem of explaining the nature of consciousness, these philosophical options of monism and dualism translate into the possibility that consciousness is either an aspect of brain functioning, or that in addition to the brain as such, there is something that is extra-physical, something that is mind-like, over and above the strictly physical nature of the brain. As a result, these options determine the path to be taken in the study of consciousness.
To achieve progress in the scientific study of consciousness, therefore, it is essential for us to have a resolution of this long-standing problem. Unless this basic problem is resolved, it is unlikely that there can be any significant scientific resolution of the consciousness problem that will be generally acceptable. Fortunately, it is now possible to resolve the problem. This resolution arises out of principles that come out of quantum mechanics. The details of this resolution will be discussed.
04.01-- Abstract No:1234
Whether or not QM can be considered a hard science, i.e. one that is representatitve of an objective physical reality, several of its key concepts (non-locality, indeterminacy, and the role of observation in the collapse of the wave function) have shown themselves to be potentially very useful in constructing a model of consciousness (J. Tolkasen and F.A. Wolf, to name two) . However, it would appear that QM can also be construed as an unconscious fantasy structured by the desire of the scientist to construct a non-linear, non-rational model of the physical (and psychical) universe (s) as it challenges the very notions of Aristotelean identity, contradiction, and causality. This desire might in fact mask the very workings of consciousness which seek to establish a scientific, secondary process model over a quantum or primary process unconscious model. This paper aims to explore QM as a double-aspect model that simultaneously tells something about itself as it attempts to explain consciousness.
04.01-- Abstract No:1261
Potential solutions to the "hard problem" of conscious experience include 1) reductionism/functionalism (experience emerges from neural complexity) , and 2) panpsychism/pan-experientialism (conscious experience is a fundamental aspect of reality) . 1) reductionism/functionalism may be correct but incomplete; addition of some form of 2) panpsychism/pan-experientialism expressed in terms of modern physics can provide a more complete solution.
In Spinoza's (1677) panpsychism, some form of consciousness is found in all matter. Leibniz (1766) saw the universe as an infinite number of fundamental units (monads) each having a primitive psychological being. Whitehead (e.g. 1929) was a process philosopher who viewed reality as a collection of events occurring in a basic field of proto-conscious experience. Certain types of events, according to Whitehead, have a conscious quality ("occasions of experience") . Russell (1927) described a "neutral monism" which gave rise to both mental and physical entities. Wheeler's (1990) pregeometry and Chalmers' (1996) dual aspect theory view information as a basic constituent of reality which may give rise to experience. The Bohm/Hiley (1994) approach involves a monistic field of quantum information (quantum potential) from which conscious experience is derived.
How might these philosophical descriptions relate to physical reality? The makeup of the universe at a basic level is only partially understood in physics and awaits unification of quantum theory and relativity. Relativity theory predicts a 4-dimensional spacetime geometry in which mass equates to spacetime curvature. Going downward in size far below the level of atoms or subatomic particles, the Planck scale (10^-33 cm) is the level at which spacetime is no longer smooth but quantized. Quantum field theory suggests that reality ensues from quanta coming into and out of existence at the Planck scale (quantum vacuum, "quantum foam", "quantum sea", zero point energies) . Roger Penrose has described quantum spin networks with discrete geometric volumes which define spacetime at the Planck scale (Penrose, 1971; Rovelli and Smolin, 1995a; 1995b) .
How can pan-experiential philosophy and the physics of reality be reconciled? Whitehead's philosophical picture of discrete events occurring in a basic field of proto-conscious experience is consistent with modern physics. Shimony (1993) observed that Whitehead's "occasions of experience" could be equivalent to quantum state reductions, and Hameroff and Penrose (1996; c.f. Hameroff, 1997) have linked Whitehead's basic field of proto-conscious experience to quantum spin networks. But how could near-infinitesimal Planck scale activities have macroscopic influence in biology?
Neural systems and consciousness are regulated by conformational states of brain proteins including membrane receptors, channels, second messengers, and cytoskeletal components such as microtubules. Conformational states of individual proteins (e.g. channel opening, transmitter release, cytoskeletal signaling etc.) are controlled by several types of intra-protein forces (covalent bonds, ionic bonds, hydrogen bonds, electrostatic forces and van der Waals forces) . Van der Waals forces are interactions among atomic and molecular dipoles of protein amino acids (Israelachvili, 1974) . A particular type of van der Waals interaction---the London dispersion force---occurs between induced dipoles and are quantum mechanical interactions (London, 1937) . Further, London forces couple to correlationa in the underlying quantum vacuum zero point energies which pervade the universe (Milonni, 1994) . Collective effects of thousands of London forces determine each protein's conformation and function, leveraged through non-polar intra-protein regions called hydrophobic pockets (sites of action of general anesthetic gases) .
London forces could mediate quantum influences in hydrophobic pockets of membrane proteins (e.g. Marshall, 1989) , synaptic proteins (e.g. Beck and Eccles, 1992) or microtubules (e.g. Penrose and Hameroff, 1995) as a bridge between neurophysiology and pan-experiential physics.
04.02-- Abstract No:760
http://home.att.net/~Andemicael/intro.html<Andemicael@worldnet.att.net>)
Physics in the twentieth century has taught us that the world often works in a way which is counter intuitive. Common sense, therefore, is not to be regarded a reliable means of discovering truth. To date, we have not formulated a truly satisfying theory explaining time's 'flux' (or 'passage') and its relationship to consciousness; but this stems from a mistaken assumption on our part regarding the relationship between the concepts 'existence' and 'persistence'.
Clearly, a thing (e.g., a material object) cannot exist if it does not remain in existence. After all, a thing which exists, but does not persist, exists for a total duration of only one moment. One moment, however, is by definition only zero seconds long -- no length of time at all. We must realize that if we say a material object (or anything else for that matter) has existed for no length of time, we are stating, in effect, that it has never been in existence. All things which exist necessarily exist for some length of time, however short this may be.
This argument applies to the present moment. If the present moment is to exist, it must remain in existence: it must endure. We often picture the present moment as moving up through time, into the future; this, in fact, is our way of visualizing the idea that the present moment maintains its existence, as time passes.
Clearly, the mystery of time's passage is solved. Given that:
1. the present must endure in order to exist, it follows that
2. time must pass if the present exists.
Time passes, therefore, for the simple reason that the present exists.
In this paper, the consequences of this new view of the time flux are explained. In particular, it is demonstrated that time travel to the past is possible as predicted by Einstein's general theory of relativity. Also, the paper answers the question of why the physical world must be observed by a conscious mind to exist.
Finally, a geometrical analysis of the motion of the present moment is given. This mathematical analysis proves the following assumptions to be true:
1. If the present exists now, it must have existed before now.
2. If the present exists now, it must continue to exist after now.
It is shown that there is a fundamental connection between consciousness and subjective time (i.e., the passage of time or the motion of the present moment) . The analysis mentioned above therefore has profound implications for the nature of consciousness. These implications are explained in detail.
04.02-- Abstract No:847
Quantum systems in the time interval between two events, so-called two-time observables (TTO) , are known to behave in a manner quite differently from expectations based on initial value quantum mechanics. According to the transactional interpretation (TI) of quantum physics, wave functions can be pictured as offer and echo wavesthe offer wave passing from an initial event, i, to a future event, a, and the echo wave, the complex conjugate of the offer wave, passing from a back in time toward i. TTO and the TI have been used to explain certain quantum physical temporal anomalies, such as non-locality, contrafactuality, and future-to-present causation as explicitly shown in Wheeler's delayed choice experiment. Experimental evidence involving neurological functioning and subjective awareness indicates the presence of the same anomalies. Here I propose a model based on TTO and the TI wherein two neural events are ultimately responsible for backwards-through-time wave function collapse in the intervening spacetime interval. After providing a simple argument showing how quantum physics applies to neurological functioning and a simple demonstration of how the TI and TTO explain the delayed choice paradox, I propose that such pairs of causality-violating events must occur in the brain in order that a single experience in consciousness take place in the observer accompanied by a single change in the observed quantum system. Using this proposition I offer a quantum physical resolutionsimilar to that of the delayed choice experimentof the 'delay-and-antedating' hypothesis/paradox put forward by Libet et al to explain certain temporal anomalies associated with a delay time, D, required for passive perception experienced by experimental subjects including the blocking of sensory awareness normally experienced at time t by a cortical signal at later time t+fD (0<f<1) and the reversal in time of the sensory awareness of the events corresponding to cortical and peripheral stimuli. The model may be a first step towards the development of a quantum physical theory of subjective awareness and suggests that biological systems evolve and continue to function in accordance with TTO and consequently a causality-violating, two-valued, TI of quantum mechanics. The model successfully predicts and explains Libet's temporal anomalies and makes a new prediction about the timings of passive bodily sensory experiences and imagined or phantom sensory experiences. The predictions of the model are compared with experimental data indicating agreement.
04.02-- Abstract No:884
The range of consciousness states is wide and varied, going from the "trance" state of no-thoughts employed by Far East mystics throughout the ages, to "ordinary" consciousness used in our everyday life, and finally to "altered" consciousness with a cascade of thoughts usually caused by the psychedelics. Each state has its own subjective time frame (and space frame) which, as theorized by this investigator, can be placed on a continuum using the same gamma factor used in Special Relativity. The result can be considered as an extension to Special Relativity in that it explains the changes in space-time frameworks as experienced by people in various consciousness states. The result also points to what may be the irreducible mathematical "signature" of consciousness in physical laws.
04.02-- Abstract No:1038
Both general relativity and quantum theory are known to be incomplete. Twistor and superstring theories are currently considered the most promising candidates for their nonlocal integration; but both lack a 'Rosetta stone' for delineating the unique topological package of higher dimensional hyperstructure required to complete the task. Both eastern and western theologies claim that gravitation is caused by the movement of spirit - spirit, ki, chi, or prana not immaterial but Bose or photon based. The spin exchange model of quantum gravity (1) incorporating the expanded Wheeler- Feynman absorber theory of radiation (2, 3) putatively describes gravitons as superposed moments of confined nonlocal photons mediated by unitary field dynamics. The cosmological constant is the coupling constant between both domains; the zero averaged fluctuation of the gravitational potential localizes and delocalizes the flow of conscious energy. The lower limit for the quantization of mind is a Planck scale hypercavity where the gravitational potential may remain balanced when at rest. Gravitational mass dependency is not required by conscious entities for state evolution as in the Hameroff-Penrose Orch-Or model because spacetime curvature provides boundary conditions gating the energy flow of Bose psychons. No gravitational work is required, mental activity is frictionless at this level, but not at the higher organic species level. Radiation or light pressure is sufficient to modulate the boundary conditions. All levels of scale are proportional to the elemental Planck unit through the law of energy quantization. Degenerate energy from infinite density singularities not being applicable to consciousness. Thus one may whimsically query 'How many Einstein's (moles of photons) does it take to turn on a light bulb? The bulb being a 'byte' of Planck bits pertinent to the conscious scale of the entity. Thus entity Z with a 10^n Planck byte raster of consciousness, has a 10^n byte psychosphere and resolves factors of 10^n bytes of external and internal mental events. Thought being dynamic moments of local quantization and summation of conscious energy. This is the cosmological root of consciousness. Nothing is said about the branches in quantum brain dynamics and nonlinear neurodynamics essential to higher brain function and the phenomenological inputs of awareness. An experimental protocol has been developed to empirically isolate and extracellularly confine the Bose psychon (4, 5) .
References
1. Amoroso, R.L., Kafatos, M. & Ecimovic, P. 1998. In. Causality and Locality in Modern Physics, G. Hunter & S. Jeffers Eds, Kluwer Academic, in press.
2. Wheeler, J.A. & Feynman, R.P. 1945. Rev. of Modern Physics, 17, 157.
3. Cramer, J.G. 1986. Transactional interpretation of quantum mechanics, Rev. of Modern Physics, Vol. 58 No. 3; 647-687.
4. Amoroso, R.L. 1996. Bioelectrochemistry & Bioenergetics, 40: 39-42.
5. Amoroso, R.L. 1995. Informatica, 19: 585-90.
04.02-- Abstract No:1304
[abstract to follow]
04.03-- Abstract No:746
In Schroedinger's Equation, the square root of -1 involved in determining the probability amplitude seems to draw in the intervention of Consciousness of the observer that leads to the 'collapse' or 'split' of the superposition. The square root of -1 here makes the classical notion of spatial locality and the related notion of causality paradoxical.
In Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity, Minkowski's four-dimensional space makes time one of the structurally equivalent co-ordinates of the continuum by introducing the square root of -1 to the time. So time seems to be a dimension of space 'occupied' by Consciousness. So here the square root of -1 seems to draw in Consciousness that turns a spatial-dimension into time. Moreover, in Minkowski's space, light does not ever travel across a distance, so our notion of locality is also invalidated just as in Quantum Theory.
So, in both cases, the square root of -1 turns what 'is there by itself' into what appears to Consciousness. So my conjecture is that the square root of -1 is the consciousness factor or psy-factor in both theories.
Exploring such a possibility might lead to the unity between QM, Theories of Relativity, and Theory of the Mind, and more. My suggestion is that we re-normalize Theories of Relativity and Quantum Mechanics in such a way that the square root of -1 in both can be used as the joint that connects the two together, with consciousness factor inherently built in.
When we start with something like the square root of -1 that breaks down the structure of locality in the classical model, then the dichotomy between the observer and the observed may also break down accordingly. The result might be that light does not travel across any distance, and the outer limit (the largest, cosmological) of observation and the Plank limit (the smallest) might turn out to be equivalent. The space is totally curled up. It is the consciousness that 'unfolds' and objectifies the space with four dimensions, one of which is still anchored in consciousness and is thus perceived as time. So a theory of physics that does not include the consciousness 'in' it will result in a square root of -1 which is quasi-spatial but seems to dig a 'hole' in the vacuum of the space.
Such an approach may require new mathematical tools developed out of the current theory of complex number, plus a kind of logic that deals with the self-propelling paradoxes with a manageable closure.
04.03-- Abstract No:905
Ken Wilber's theory of holons clearly describes why subjective and objective realities are distinct. Traditional information theory exclusively deals with objective reality while missing or ignoring subjective reality altogether. Yet, both subjective and objective existances exhibit informational characteristics. This paper will enumerate these two kinds of informational properties and distinguish how they both must coexist.
This understanding is based on modern research relating information theory and quantum gravity. Current public comprehension and mindset regarding the nature of information theory is not keeping pace with this highly technical field. The new unified quantum gravity theories are implicitly linked with thermodynamics and information theory. These theories imply that information and energy have a duality relationship resulting in paradoxical understanding just as earlier in this century particle-wave duality was seen as paradoxical. For example, a black hole's event horizon entropy measure is really an information metric more than an energy metric, since a quantum "bit" thrown into a black hole actually increases surface area by minimum amount. Bits are not purely mathematical anymore, but also not purely energy/matter either.
This duality leads to possibility as proposed by others that information is more fundamental than energy. This approach says alot about the nature of the information-energy duality, especially the interdependence of these two distinct properties. If information is truely more primitive than energy or matter, then it must also be more fundamental than time and space. Informational like structures must predate energy/matter and space/time encodings, yet impact physical reality.
This non-local and atemporal information understanding and thought process is the key to comprehending informational properties for subjective realities. This informational infrastructure must not only be the basis for all of physical nature (including quantum mechanics) but also the basis of all "hard problems" of consciousness. In the time allowed, the modern information-energy duality will be explored in relationship to the subjective-objective nature of consciousness and information theory. Understanding and accepting this duality is they key to comprehending that paradoxical nature of consciousness and mind/matter interaction.
04.03-- Abstract No:916
Any signal originating from any physical source is considered as an interaction to the brain which results in it's storage in some parametric form. It is possible to reenact the same interaction at the level of parametric description again by some means. It simply means that whatever was the properties of the interaction during the original interaction, is conveyed back again. Reenaction of an interaction at parametric level can be achieved in so many ways. For example, if the storage of such parametric descriptions is associative, which is indeed the case, then any interaction that is closely related in parametric space could trigger the original interaction again at higher level. Another method is to recall in sequence. That is, when an interaction took place, there must have been a sequence of interactions following the one. If the brain could store the transitions from one to another, then it is very much possible to trigger the next in the same sequence as original depending on the memory of weights for such a transition that changes with time. The idea is to say that it is possible to convey the description or the meaning of an interaction again by reenacting it. Also, that an action of rule may be carried out through transitions from one interaction to another because of the associations that have been recorded in the system. For example, if one had a record of having eaten a ripe fruit, then the next time, the texture of the fruit, and its feel in the hand, could recall the description of the taste of it, whatever it conveyed to the system. A complex mechanism of abstraction is described in the text in stepwise fashion, along the path of hierarchical and modular processing. It is possible to show that there exists an interaction that has all the ingredients in terms of properties that correspond to all the elements that are needed to convey a meaning such as, an interaction with the identified characteristics is taking place. All it requires to understand such an interaction is to break the analysis of an interaction into components and to see how it is realised in actual system. For example, there corresponds an interaction to the description of fruit in the above example, because such a description is recorded in the system to be replayed again when trigerred. The properties corresponding to the features of an interaction are recorded via associations that strengthen among the more elementary components due to repeated interactions, where such a feature occurs. For example, a geometry corresponding to a square has associations of lines in a form that is parameterizable and recordable. Property corresponding to whether a particular feature of the interaction is current or the recall is coded in terms of whether the most fundamental level interaction is present or not. The most fundamental level physical interaction can be caused only externally, whereas the system like brain can recall only the parameterically stored features. The hierarchical, modular, and true object oriented processing also seems to be originating rather naturally from such a system. After all, one has to keep in mind that consciousness is the product of natural processes. Therefore, if there exists an interaction that convey the meaning of experiences so naturally, then I do not see any fundamental difficulty. Such a system Evolves naturally which has capability to explain the origin of consciousness.
04.03-- Abstract No:942
With arguments based on topos theory (topoi) it has been shown recently that it is possible to express the degree to which the logic of an observer (in the physical universe) determines the observation, thus to formalize rational behaviour. In particular, a formal way of unifying logical, physical, and psychological templates of perception and cognition has been outlined. (Trifonov 1995) Hence, for the first time, the logical structure of physics (in a topos-theoretic sense having been investigated by Isham 1996 e.g.) can be generalized in order to explicitly cover the relationship between what thinks and what is thought about (as representing two different aspects of the same underlying material substrate, dynamical status, and process of signification in the semiological sense) . This empirically confirms an idea that Jean Piaget already mentioned in the seventies, pointing to this close relationship between perception and cognition on the one hand, and the mathematical concepts of morphism and categories, on the other. (ed. Brown 1992) Meanwhile, fractal aspects of cognition have been recently discussed by MacCormac, Stamenov (eds. 1996) et al. -- thus establishing a link to the evolutionary structures on which the celebrated theories of self-organization and the formation of structure (chaos theory) in the sense of Prigogine and others are principally based. Looking at these results in terms of a philosophical "rationale", we can say the following: If reflexion (i.e. propositional thinking) is visualized in terms of a human characteristic in the anthropological sense of a "definition" (of humans) , and if humans are visualized as a product of nature at the same time, then reflexion is nothing but a form of (physical) matter (though of a very elaborate, complex kind) . Humans thinking about nature can be thought of in turn as nature thinking about itself. Research is then nature's permanent effort of "reading" its own text within its own con-text (or equivalently: telling its own (hi-) story) . Hence, this kind of self-narration is nothing but the wordly process iself when viewed in strictly onto- epistemic terms. So the unfolding of (worldly) being is practically equivalent to the cognitive process of collecting knowledge about this same unfolding. By means of an explicit mathematical concept ("negator algebra") the emergence of cognition as that kind of self-narration shall be illustrated. Within this context, the basic idea is to represent the production of metaphors (on the epistemic level) as a systematic (verbal) conceptualization of inhabited geometry (of space-time-matter) whose nucleus is the production of analogies. Hence, it is also the epistemic foundation of social poetics (or of the poetic geometrization of worldly references -- which is basically the same -- in turn based on narrative structures) . In this sense, metaphors can be interpreted as "miniature poems" with characteristic topoi as their concepts. (Ricoeur 1975) Hence, the double meaning of "topoi". It is this metaphorization of geometry (the latter being at the roots of the worldly process itself) which expresses nature's permanent effort towards an adequate self-narration, the process structure of metaphors (MacCormac 1985) reflecting the very process structure of this worldly unfolding of meaning.
References:
T.Brown (ed.) (1992) : Jean Piaget: Morphisms and Categories, Comparing and Transforming, Erlbaum,
Hillsdale, N.J., Hove, London.
C.J.Isham (1996) : Topos Theory and Consistent Histories: The Internal Logic of the Set of all Consistent
Sets, preprint gr-qc 96 07069.
E.R.Mac Cormac (1985) : A Cognitive Theory of Metaphor, MIT Press, Cambridge (Mass.) , London.
E.R.Mac Cormac, M.I.Stamenov (eds.) (1996) : Fractals of brain, fractals of mind, Benjamins, Amsterdam,
Philadelphia.
P.Ricoeur (1975) : La metaphore vive, du Seuil, Paris.
V.Trifonov (1995) : A Linear Solution of the Four-Dimensionality Problem, Europhys. Lett. 32 (8) , 621-626.
04.03-- Abstract No:985
The concept of using psychophysical laws to describe consciousness, recently popularized by David Chalmers (1996) , was originated by Gustav Fechner (1860) . Although Fechner believed that consciousness was a nonphysical property of the universe, the dominant view of the psychophysics community today is decidedly non dualist, materialistic and reductionist. Modern psychophysics is primarily concerned with the accurate measurement of sensory experiences and the development of sensory psychophysical laws. These sensory laws are understood as reflecting higher order properties of the neural mechanisms on which they are based (although the underlying mechanisms are often not fully known) . The issue of consciousness is rarely brought up, although practically all of psychophysics involves the measurement of conscious experience through some type of self report.
In this paper we return to Fechnerss original agenda and address the question of whether almost a century and a half of meticulous psychophysical research has lead us to the point where we can begin to derive the psychophysical laws of consciousness. Provided that consciousness can be treated as unitary construct, the psychophysical laws of consciousness should not be different for different sensory modalities, or for any phenomena that is consciously experienced (e.g. emotion, stress, decision making, social attribution, etc.) . Also, the empirically discovered laws of consciousness should be related to each other throughan interlocking mathematical structure, as are the laws of physics. It should be possible to derive predictions for a wide range of situations from a set of fundamental principles. These criteria are important for the creationof meaningful psychophysical laws regardless of whether one takes a dualistic or non dualistic stance.
Norwich's (1993) entropic theory of perception satisfies these criterion in that it unifies many of the empirically discovered laws of psychophysics using Shannon's concept of information as the underlying unit of perceptual experience. In this paper it is further argued that the entropic theory of perception also characterizes non perceptual, conscious phenomena, effectively uniting a diverse range of conscious experience under a single law.
04.03-- Abstract No:1054
In considering the nature of life, most biologists view the symptoms of life such as growth as arising completely from biochemical reactions occurring in the organism. In other words, biochemist view an organism as resulting from nothing more than the interaction of molecular machinery. Although this view is very common, no one has fully demonstrated it. Instead, we have many examples of the molecular machinery in a cell. We propose herein an experiment to test this view. Namely, can one synthesize a living system by combining the component parts? The biochemists and molecular biologists have isolated or identified most of the components of simple prokaryotic organisms like the mycoplasma. For example, the genome of several microorganisms such as E. coli, have been fully sequenced (Blattner et al., 1997) . From the genome, the sequence of amino acids in the proteins has been determined. Biochemists have elucidated many of the biochemical pathways in the cell. In a biochemist's lab, it is not uncommon to see a large poster with all the known biosynthentic pathways mapped out. Researchers know that a cell wall consists of a bilayer of lipids with various proteins embedded in the wall.
Given the modern techniques available to the molecular biologists such as PCR (polymerase chain reaction) , one should be able to synthesize sufficient quantities of DNA and the numerous enzymes in the simplest organisms. It is known that an artificial cell-like membrane can self-assemble from phospholipids and encapsulate DNA or enzymes. Furthermore, these encapsulated enzymes catalyze biochemical reactions (Chakrabarti et al. 1994) . What would be the difficulty in assembling all the appropriate molecules and injecting or encapsulating them within the space defined by the artificial cell membrane? Nothing seems to be missing in the chemical paradigm of life that would cause this experiment to fail. Nevertheless, no one to this day has succeeded in synthesizing a living, growing organism. The success of such a synthesis would give a tremendous boost to our attempts to understand the origin of life.
We will propose an alternate theory of the organism. In this theory, we propose that the symptoms of life are occuring on the basis of consciousness. We will propose a field-model for the relevant actions of consciousness that has a testable consequence. It will be proposed that the consciousness-field, under some conditions, has a direct connection with sounds, and sound in turn causes action potentials within the neuron. We propose to test this theory in the well-studied squid giant axon. The giant axon of squid was used by Hodgkin and Huxley (1952) to characterize action potentials. These giant axons can be exposed to a variety of sounds being careful to exclude mechanical, chemical, or electrical stimulus. We predict that an action potential will occur.
Chakrabarti, A.C.; Breaker, R.R.; Joyce, G.F.; Deamer, D.W. 1994. J. Mol. Evol. 39:555-559.
Blattner, F.R. et al. 1997, Science 277: 1453-1474.
Hodgkin, A.L.; Huxley, A.F. 1952. J. Physiol. 116: 449-472.
04.03-- Abstract No:1212
The author postulates a universe in which mentality is as fundamental is physicality, explores the implications of that, and presents hypotheses concerning the evolution and functioning of human cognitive systems in such an environment. Of the several interpretations of reality which consider the physical and the mental to be equally real and equally fundamental, two compatible interpretations are discussed in detail. These are Ervin Laszlo's biperspectival system theory, and an elaboration of the perennial philosophy view incorporating the concepts of algorithm, information, informational modulation, and evolution. In this latter view, reality comprises an enduring protophysical, protomental medium modulated by transient informational patterns. Chance-and-necessity evolution, guided by intrinsic 'laws-of-nature' algorithms, produces systems that may be non-functional, physically functional, or physically and mentally functional. Given such a reality, the author concludes that human mentality evolved in bottom-up fashion, with mind-associated neuronal systems not so much creating mind as organizing a pre-existing propensity for awareness into useful, functional awareness, and providing for its modulation by useful information.
Unlike present-day engineering which is able to actualize only physical potentials of the primal medium, evolution's trial and error design capability allowed it to actualize the medium's mental potentials as well. In coming up with human and primate brains which harnessed both kinds of potentials, the evolutionary design approach was something like this: Create neuronal systems that generate mental metaphors or analogs of the immediate physical situation, and bring them together in one mental 'space'. Combine this with a selective attention mechanism which allows this mental space to be scanned for qualia having survival or reproductive significance, and arrange for the neuronal correlates of attended-to qualia to become available for unconscious, computational processing.
The author hypothesizes that localized occurrences of awareness accompany the functioning of relatively simple neuronal systems within the brain's sensory cortex, and that each such system is capable of informationally modulating its associated awareness to create an elemental quale. The awareness elements of a given sensory modality together constitute a subjective field which is topologically related to the body image. Within each sensory field, awareness- associated informational artifacts (qualia) appear.
Together, the several superposed fields simulate a unified, multi-modal consciousness and constitute a global workspace. As mentioned above, selective attention to particular qualia in the superposed fields activates neural correlates which provide qualia-related but physically-embodied information for computational processing. This processing at times feeds back remembered and imagined information to the sensory fields, allowing these derivative qualia, too, to be acted upon by selective attention. At the end of all the processing, the ultimate behavioral decision is frequently accompanied by a mental correlate of its own: a YES feeling, a NO feeling, fear, anger, etc.
From the biperspectival system point of view, the many small awareness-organizing neuronal systems and the systems which topologically organize the subjective elements are all subsystems of -- and together constitute -- the overall 'global workspace' cognitive system. The interior state of this overall system is the subjective global workspace. Human consciousness is this system's self-experience.
04.03-- Abstract No:1257
Thinking and ordering
How can one label a lump of matter as being conscious, for example the brain? Many psychologists use the word "conscious" to refer to those parts of the brain that undergo ordering processes. Now the second law of thermodynamics states that the entropy - a measure of disorder - of an isolated system can only increase. A possible generalization of the above two ideas is this: Perhaps if a system interacting with its surroundings is becoming less disordered (while creating disorder elsewhere such that the second law is obeyed) then it has some consciousness, otherwise the disorder of a system, isolated or not, will always increase. I shall discuss what I think this disorder is later, but I do not actually mean the thermal physicist's entropy - again, see later. (As a corollary, perhaps a part of a system is conscious if it has the ability to lower the disorder of another system, for example a person tidying a room.) Specifically, perhaps thought is the act of ordering in the respective parts of the brain. The brain firstly disorders its thinking parts, then the act of thinking is to shift those parts to a more ordered state. This process is repeated again and again until an intelligible idea is reached. An analogy I find enlightening, to which I shall refer later, is as follows: Consider a balloon resting on a table covered with holes. The balloon represents the thinking parts of the brain; it can expand or contract, corresponding to the disorder or order respectively of these parts. Now the holes in the table each correspond to an idea, intelligible or not. The thinking parts of the brain firstly become as disordered as possible, that is the balloon becomes as large as possible to cover as many holes as it can. Then the balloon contracts - the process of thinking. Eventually it becomes small enough to fall into one of the holes. If the idea corresponding to this hole is nonsense, the balloon might pop out and expand again, and the whole procedure is repeated again and again until the balloon falls into a hole corresponding to an intelligible idea. Of course one might expect some kind of guidance of the balloon towards the desired hole since the process of thought is not completely random.
01.02-- Abstract No:743
David Chalmers' unrestricted double-aspect postulate, which links subjective experience with all information processing, establishes a Panpsychic theory of Newtonian Mechanics (PNM) involving panpsychic or Psi-forces that link the first person perspective of consciousness directly to neurobiological information processing. This is accomplished in three steps. First, the basic PNM theory is derived directly from Chalmers' postulate, then the theory is embellished metaphysically using Leibniz's monad theory, and lastly--several applications of PNM theory to biology are briefly discussed.
In the first step, Chalmers' double-aspect postulate is applied directly to Isaac Newton's laws of motion. Newton originally founded his laws on the common sense notion of applied or external forces. However, applying Chalmers' postulate, these same laws are redefined in terms of a counterintuitive but nevertheless equally valid experimental concept of intrinsic or internal forces, to be called panpsychic or Psi-forces. These forces are matter's purposeful -- and not externally forced -- response to gravitational, electrical, and other information fields. The internal forces specified in this Chalmersian version of PNM tell us that there is an inherent intentionality or natural inclination of matter towards accelerated motion. Consciousness from this perspective may be a universal attribute of physical systems in motion that -- as hypothesized by David Chalmers--involves a relationship between consciousness and awareness which varies in each system according to its level of structural coherence and organizational invariance.
In the second step, when Newton's laws are redefined in this way, classical mechanics essentially becomes a Leibnizianized version of PNM as well, which philosophically is much the same as the Specimen Dynamicum published by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in 1695. In this version of PNM also, the same as in Chalmers', matter's experience of every physical field is solely a matter of information, rather than external force. However, in this version the revised laws of motion govern Leibnizian monads, which are elementary psychic essences or spirits residing within matter. Leibnizian monads process and respond purposefully to the information in any field in accordance with the appropriate laws (gravitational attraction, Coulomb's law, etc. restated in terms appropriate to Psi-forces) . So this imbedding of Leibniz's monad theory in Newtonian mechanics in essence constitutes a spiritualistic synthesis of Leibniz and Newton that is consistent with and encompasses the empirical and mathematical foundations of classical mechanics.
In the third step, several biological applications of either the basic or embellished viewpoints of PNM are briefly discussed. In both viewpoints, the intrinsic Psi-forces of biological systems determine their behavior. Contrary to what classical mechanics and psychological behaviorism say, biological behavior is never externally determined by any force-for there are no external forces anywhere in nature. PNM theory includes much more than this, however, for -- unlike classical mechanics and psychological behaviorism -- it also explains the intentionality and purposefulness of living creatures. When the high-level Psi-forces of nervous system mass action are regarded as mind, PNM theory actually requires the existence of mind for a consistent account of matter that includes both physics and biology.
04.03-- Abstract No:1314
Stapp (1) has suggested that since classical physics was specifically designed to exclude the observer from any description of physical processes, whereas quantum mechanics places the observer centre stage, a deeper understanding of the relation between mind and matter must come through quantum theory. One of the difficulties of carrying through such a programme lies in understanding the full implications of the quantum formalism. We will argue that most of the fundamental problems in quantum mechanics arise because we insist on using the outmoded Cartesian order to describe physical processes (2, 3). A more coherent account can be developed using new categories based on the notions of the implicate and explicate orders introduced by Bohm (4). We will also argue that not only does this new approach provide a rich alternative way to understand quantum phenomena without the need to take spacetime as primary (5, 6), but also removes the sharp division between matter and mind. This approach is different from that proposed by Penrose (7) where objective collapse is seen to provide the point at which mind can function. It has more similarities with the approach originally proposed by Eccles (8) where the field expressed in terms of the quantum potential can change the potentialities of quantum events. The new orders open up novel possibilities for exploring the relationship between mind and matter. The consequences for mind and consciousness will be briefly discussed.
References.
(1) H. P. Stapp, Mind, Matter and Quantum Mechanics, Springer, Berlin, 1993.
(2) D. Bohm and B. J. Hiley, The Undivided Universe, Routledge, London, 1993.
(3) B. J. Hiley, Quantum Mechanics and the Relationship between Mind and Matter, in Brain, Mind and Physics, Ed., ed. P. Pylkkänen, P. Pylkkö, and A. Hautamäki, 37-53, IOS Press, Amsterdam, 1997.
(4) D. Bohm, Wholeness and the Implicate Order, Routledge, London, 1980.
(5) B. J. Hiley, The Algebra of Process, in Consciousness at the Cross-roads of Philosophy and Cognitive Science, ed., B. Borstner and J. Shawe-Taylor, pp. 52-67, Imprint Academic, Thorverton, 1995.
(6) B. J. Hiley and M. Fernandes, Process and Time, in Time, Temporality and Now, ed., H. Atmanspacher and E. Ruhnau, pp. 365-383, Springer, Berlin, 1997.
(7) R. Penrose, Shadows of the Mind, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1994.
(8) J. C. Eccles, Proc. Roy, Soc,. B277, 411-28, 1986.
04.04-- Abstract No:900
An hypothesis about the nature of consciousness is developed in three steps. First, almost all organized aggregates have preferred sizes ("magic numbers") . Second, the hierarchical organization of the brain is formulated in terms of magic numbers, with 100 as a convenient approximation for the cell aggregate size. Third, the origin of consciousness is proposed to arise from the self-conversation of groups of neurons at the peak of the hierarchy, probably involving 10, 000 to 1, 000, 000 cells. Self-awareness, or consciousness, arises from learning "who" is making the internal conversation, just as we learn to recognize a friend through external inputs.
The Yanomami Indians of Brazil and Venezuela live in villages of 150 to 300 individuals. The villages divide into smaller groups if the number of inhabitants rises to the upper bound, and the groups move apart. The number 200 is a "magic number" for the cluster size of Yanomami Indians. The Indians of British Columbia and California lived in communities of 30-400 individuals, whereas North Koreans formed villages of 100 people.
The nuclei of atoms belong to a set of organized clusters in which the numbers of protons and neutrons must be balanced, with the neutrons exceeding the protons in number by amounts that increase with increasing atomic number. A simple way of describing the stability of the 264 stable nuclei is that it is the result of a balance between the internal attraction mediated by exchange of mesons between the nucleons and the electrostatic repulsion of the protons. No nuclei with atomic numbers above 83 (bismuth) are stable, thus the magic number for stability must be less than 209.
A general rule may exist for organized clusters, the sizes being determined by the balance of attractive and repulsive forces. The application of the idea to mesoscopic systems ranging from nuclei to people appears to be new.
Other examples involving polymer structure, simulations of self-assembled monolayers on gold, and the size of chlorophyll antennal groups are discussed.
Using the idea that 100 cells constitutes a functional aggregate, a functional aggregrate hierarchy of the brain can now be formulated. There are ca. 1012 neurons in the brain (base set) . Each set of 102 cells forms a functional aggregate, leading to the idea that 1010 cells are needed as a set of "control" cells (control set 1, CS1) . Higher sets of 108 (CS2) , 106 (CS3) , and 104 cells (CS4) should exist. Evidence for such functional arrangements in the brain are found in the retinal rod cell:ganglion cell ratio (100:1) , and in the visual area 1: MT area: MT crescent (ca 1500:30:1) ratios. The development of the "highest" set (CS4 or CS3) should parallel that found for the set of fetal ganglion cells.
The implications of the new formulation are briefly explored with respect to early education (including possible prenatal influences) , the importance of an enriched environment ("use it or lose it") for both physical and mental development, and the social organization of education.
04.04-- Abstract No:949
A comprehensive theory of consciousness must explain, not only self-awareness, perception, "states of consciousness", and the self-aware entity, but all phenomena and noumena that are radically-related to these, including life itself, telepathy, PK, OBEs, precognition, morphogenesis, quantum coherence, and the homing and migratory behavior of animals. Because all elements of this set are products of organized systems, a comprehensive theory of holistic, coherent systems is required to explain them. Foundational to this theory is the organizing principle, enformy: the fundamental, conserved capacity to organize. Holistic, coherent systems that are organized and sustained by enformy are denoted "enformed systems."
This is a brief overview of the Theory of Enformed Systems: An enformed system is the sum of its parts plus one essential component: a four-dimensional map of the relationships among these parts. This map in spacetime, itself a nonmaterial, nonphysical enformed system, is denoted "ipseon" (ipse=self) . Enformy creates energy systems and material systems by organizing elements of energy and matter to conform to the spatio-temporal nonrandomness inherent in ipseons. Ipseons possess two properties - - state-conformance and self-conformance - -that maintain their integrity as entities. In living systems, these properties are expressed as self-awareness, perception, cognition, memory, and motor activity. In fundamental particles, they are expressed as wave/particle duality, nonlocality, and superposition. A third property of ipseons--coherency--allows ipseons to cohere with other ipseons in spacetime, creating nonlocal, atemporal interactions among multiple enformed systems at all levels of complexity. In living systems, coherency is expressed as telepathy, precognition, psychokinesis, social bonding, and homing and migratory behaviors. In systems of photons, it is expressed as quantum coherence.
In sum, all elements of life and consciousness are products of enformed systems. Under the theory of enformed systems: (1) enformy, the organizing principle, is fundamental to energy and matter; (2) ipseons are nonmaterial, nonphysical systems that are fundamental to energy systems and material systems; and (3) systemics (the study of systems) , the most fundamental branch of science, is therefore the "science of consciousness."
04.04-- Abstract No:950
The Theory of Enformed Systems is foundational to a Theory of Meta-Systems that describes the common roots of all holistic systems. These roots are expressed in three levels of observable and inferable aspects of systems: (1) enformy systems are nonmaterial and nonphysical (where "physical" indicates the domain of physics) ; (2) enformed energy systems are nonmaterial and physical; and (3) enformed material systems are material and physical. Living organisms comprise all three levels of systems; indeed, living material systems are emergent products of the two more fundamental systems. The phenomena and noumena commonly attributed to, or identified with, consciousness are primary because they result from properties of enformy systems. The "behavioral" aspects of material systems derive from properties of energy systems, and their physical forms result from interactions between enformy systems and energy systems. These two aspects are mediated through morphogenesis for organisms and quantum coherence for photons.
At the fundamental level of enformy systems, there is no distinction between living and non-living systems. The theory of meta-systems therefore provides an examplar for two heretofore mysterious phenomena: (1) quantum coherence, as expressed in the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen phenomenon; and (2) the "nonlocal mind", as identified by Dossey. In humans, telepathy, PK, and OBEs occur when enformy systems that are associated with specific material systems ("bodies") cohere with remote ispeons and share their common elements of enformation ("memory") in spacetime, where enformation is the quality of nonrandomness in a particular frame of reference. Ordinary consciousness occurs when the enformy systems remain "local" to the material systems to produce perceptions, recollections of specific memories, and macroscopic behaviors in three-space. Moreover, dynamic brain states reflect the enformed energy system through "recurrent feedback interactions", for example. In correlated photons, nonlocal interactions that are paranormal under relativity occur by the same process: the enformy systems of the elemental photons cohere in spacetime. In general, elements of all systems share "memory" (enformation) concerning the history of their interactions. The Theory of Enformed Systems and its derivative Theory of Meta-Systems represent major advances in the theoryof systems. Moreover, the transdisciplinary nature of these theories makes them prime candidates for a new scientific paradigm.
04.04-- Abstract No:1182
Baas (1993, 1996, 1997) presents a formal framework for explaining emergence in category-theoretic terms. On this scheme, emergence denotes the generation of higher-level stuctures (or emergent- wholes) as a consequence of interactions between lower-level structures suchthat properties associated with higher-level structure are non-observable at lower-levels. Two kinds of emergence are distinguished: (1) deductive or computational emergence and (2) observational or non- computational emergence. In the former, a procedure (algorithm) for determining emergent properties associated with higher-level structures from the components and interactions at lower phenomenal levels can be specified; for the latter, this is impossible. (Baas (1993) cites the existence of Goedel sentences in support of observational emergence.) On this framework, emergence is held to be largely an epistemological phenomenon since it is primarily concerned with issues of observation and only derivatively concerned with issues of production. (In this respect, the theory of autopoietic systems (Maturana, 80) is the natural counterpart to the above scheme.)
While the framework appears to constitute a step forward in the direction of formalizing the concept of emergence, it is, in reality, highly problematic since the observer is included as an intrinsic and irreducible component in the formalism. This poses a problem because questions relating to the ontology of the observer remain largely unresolved. For example, is consciousness a necessary condition for observation ? If this is indeed the case, as Searle (1992, 1995) appears to hold, the above framework solves the 'hard problem' (Chalmers, 96) by discharging it, since it then follows that consciousness must be ontologically primitive. However, materialist emergentists (such as Baas) are committed to an evolutionary view in which consciousness appears relatively late in the phenomenal hierarchy, certainly after the emergence of matter and life. Hence, classical emergentists cannot assert that consciousness and matter (assumed to be non- experiential) were historically contemporaneous. The alternative is to maintain that consciousness is merely a contingent phenomenon associated with the observational acts of higher-order systemic structures (such as human beings) . According to Emmeche (1992) , the environment of a system can readily assume the role of the observer: on this view, (natural-) selection is a sufficient condition for observation; qualia (subjective experiences) or what-it-is-likeness (Nagel, 79) are regarded as non-causal (or epiphenomenal) . However, there are two problems with this position: firstly, the epistemological problem of whether selection in the absence of volitional-experience is a meaningful concept; and secondly, assuming this is indeed the case, the ontological problem of how a non-experiential (or ontologically-objective) substrate can generate an experiential (or ontologically-subjective) emergent, viz. the 'hard problem'.
In this paper, it is maintained that a commitment to panexperientialism (as against crude panpsychism) constitutes a necessary condition for epistemological and ontological closure in emergentist frameworks. The formal framework for emergence introduced in (Ali, 97) is modified so as to incorporate Baas' scheme using a synthesis of Whiteheadian (1978) organicism and Mead's (1932) social conception of emergence; the former necessitates transcending the duality of chance and necessity characteristic of automata-theory in favour of experiential-volition, while the latter allows for the specification of the environment as an observer defined in terms of an emergent network of individuals.
04.04-- Abstract No:1205
Despite a big confusion with concept of consciousness the scientific study of consciousness and conscious experience needs a support from the functioning brain. In structural sense it is possible to view the brain as a body of organic and inorganic matter with different levels of organization. A more traditional way is to distinguish morphological levels in the brain, e.g. subcellular level ( parts of neuron) , cellular level (whole neuron) , a certain anatomical brain structure or region and the whole brain level. Another possibility to structure brain proceeds from the synaptically connected neural chains. In this case we can also distinguish several levels in the brain, e.g. subcellular level (parts of neuron and the synapse) , cellular level, an unitary neural chain, a connected complex of neural chains/networks and finally the whole brain level as a set of the such (functional) complexes. There are also other possibilities to find and separate brain levels but an important moment here is that different divisions have both similar and distinct levels. It is important to keep in mind that similar levels in different organizational spaces would have unequal extent with various features. Thus, such apparent identity of differently classified levels would be reason of mistakes in explaining the neural mechanisms of functional capacities of brain. If we take into account only one organizational principle of brain then consciousness should arise from one certain level, otherwise it is possible to bind consciousness with several brain levels.
Current neuroscience has achieved a considerable progress in understanding of certain neural functions, but among others consciousness is revealing strong resistance against explanatory power of science. Although the scientific approach has been applied to both phenomenal and neural world of events, we havent real convincing scientific approach to bind these worlds together. Maybe our understanding about brain is insufficient today or rather phenomena and neurons are speaking too different languages.
04.05-- Abstract No:1002
Life supporting processes belong to the essentially nonequilibrium chaotic systems capable of self- regulation. Self- organization on each particular level of an organismôs hierarchy is supported by a corresponding assembly of biochemical processes and is characterized by a certain resulting endogenous electromagnetic field (EEMF) . The changes in the ordering at any level of a dynamic system (as a result of a pathology or an altered state of mind, for example) distorts the resulting EMF. It is suggested that this distortion of the endogenous EMF may affect the governing parameters of self-organization on the other levels.
Thousands of chemical reactions are involved in metabolism. This necessitates fine control mechanisms, specifically, the simultaneous biological organization of structure and function. This is also true for dissipative structures, which occur in chemical systems with more than two variables owing to diffusion-induced symmetry disturbances as a result of chemical reactions under conditions, which are far from equilibrium.
The influence of an endogenous electromagnetic field (EEMF) on the characteristics of an autocatalytic oxidation of p-nitrophenol with potassium bromate (non-regular chemical oscillations) is studied as a function of the mental state of a test person (sleeping, reading, solving problems, etc) .
The broad typical power spectra of the potential oscillations confirm that the oscillations in the studied system are non-regular. Since the shape of the obtained curves of the spurious Lyapunov index time dependences is far from linear, the irregularities in the systems under consideration are due to their inherent deterministic chaotic nature. The trajectories of the corresponding transfer functions have a distinct shape (not a random sequence of points) in all obtained Poincare maps. This also testifies to the occurrence of determined chaos instead of a randomization of periodic process.
Chaotic processes are extremely sensitive to initial conditions, therefore, the plots of transfer functions are quite active. Yet in all maps, transfer functions have diagonal-located points, which correspond to metastable modes. The attractors and Poincare maps for the studied chemical oscillations under the influence of the human endogenous electromagnetic field show that some modulations do not affect the evolution of chemical oscillation, whereas other - repeatedly induce changes in the studied oscillative system. Actually, equal conditions are used in all experiments except for the physical state of a test person. Thus, the obtained results show that the state of a test person (as being transferred via endogenous EMF) may induce chaos/order transition in a deterministic chaos system.
04.05-- Abstract No:1024
I argue that William James presented a view of consciousness and the brain which comes very close indeed to being the theory that the higher brain is a chaotic system and consciousness its strange attractor. In addition, I claim that this thesis is a response to ontological and causal dilemmas raised by holding four plausible theses about the mind in conjunction (conscious states exist, are not type-identical with physical states, are not non-physical, and have causal relevance) ; that these four theses are quite widely endorsed; and that therefore this chaotic model of consciousness is a live option -- possibly even a necessary resort -- for many present day workers in the field.
04.06-- Abstract No:762
We present the principle of multiple knowledge -- a hypothesis that the main reason for the complexity of the human brain is appropriately utilised multiplicity. Theoretical multiple models are designed to enable studies of artificial and natural multiple systems. In cybernetical terms, these models show that in real-life domains we can expect improvements when combining multiple models (e.g. several systems) . This was shown theoretically and practically. The importance for the study of consciousness is more essential. It means that the human mind/brain is capable of combining multiple models of the problem and possible solutions. Since the approach leads to combinatorial explosion, it means that the computational power is much greater than e.g. the one measured by the number of neurons in the brain. The brain 'machine' is therefore stronger than the appropriate universal Turing machine. While we can show that multiplicity leads to more powerful mechanisms, we are not able to describe the algorithm that performs in this way. Therefore it is not clear whether an appropriately more complex computer (Turing machine) could cope with such computing, or it demands more powerful mechanisms.
04.06-- Abstract No:1020
A wide variety of logics have been developed; in addition to classical logic, there are fuzzy logics, affine logics, quantum logics, etc. Recently with the introduction of linear logic by Girard [1987] a logic has appeared which is possibly more universal than classical logic. This paper explores the connections of linear logic to other logics and also how linear logic may be the most suitable for modeling activation states in the brain. The essential new feature in linear logic is that it accounts for resources; two instances of the same variable are considered differently from a single instance. Linear logic thus must obey a form of the linear superposition principle. A proposition can be reasoned with only once, unless a special operator is applied. Informally, linear logic distinguishes two kinds of conjunction, two kinds of disjunction, and also introduces a modal storage operator that explicitly indicates propositions that can be reused. The modal operator or exponential that indicates reuse of propositions is !. A tongue in cheek example is that the US government has !Dollars so that it does not have to balance its budget.
In addition to the applications for which linear logic has already been found useful, this logic shows much promise for the modeling of deep structures in quantum mechanics and as a possible logic for the brain. Pratt [1994] has made much of the application of linear logic to quantum mechanics. In brief he proposes constructing the world out of the fabric of Chu spaces. Chu spaces are k-valued binary relations from a set to the Boolean algebra on the set and Pratt proved the capability of Chu spaces to express all of mathematics. Armed with this universality, Pratt replaces the complementarity of quantum mechanics with the trade off between time and information as expressed in Chu spaces. This interesting ontology suggests deep connections between quantum mechanics and logic. The converse connection of quantum mechanics to reasoning and consciousness has been suggested by many consciousness researchers and linear logic may help to understand this connection. The author has shown that there is a natural connection between Lie groups and linear logic so that linear logic should be a feature any quantum system including the brain.
The resource conserving feature of linear logic suggests that it would be a good tool for modeling computation in the brain involving as it does recruitment of a limited repertoire of neuronal cell assemblies. Just as linear logic (absent the ! operator) cannot utilize arbitrary numbers of copies of propositions, the brain will be limited in its ability to hold neural correlates of propositions when reasoning.
These and other implications of linear logic for studying consciousness will be explored in this paper.
References
Girard, J.Y., 1987. "Linear Logic", Theoretical Computer Science, 50:1-102, 1987.
Pratt, Vaughan R, 1994a. Chu spaces: Automata with quantum aspects. In Proc. Workshop on Physics and Computation - PHYSCOMP'94, Dallas, Texas, IEEE. 2
04.06-- Abstract No:1021
The philosophy of the mathematician and scientist Hermann Weyl is determined by a dualistic vision of representation. On the one hand there are representations -- based on the common sense and daily life perception of phenomena -- on the other hand there is the construction of a consistent system of true sentences according to mathematical axioms. Weyl emphasizes that no representation is able to verify its relation to reality.
The consequences of this gap for his theory of subjectivty and consciousness will be discussed paying special attention to the topic of the foundation of mathematics and its specific semiotic problems. The discussion will take into account parallels between the philosophy of Hermann Weyl and the concepts of Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari for a nomadic paradigem of semiotic action.
References
Deleuze, Gilles and Guattari, Felix: Mille Plateaus, Paris 1980.
Penrose, R.: Fundamental asymmetry in physical laws. In: Wells, R. O. Jr. (Editor) : The mathematical
Heritage of Hermann Weyl. Proceedings of Symposia in Pure Mathematics, Vol. 48. American Mathematical Society Providence, Rhode Island. (Proceedings of the Symposion on the Mathematical Heritage of Hermmann Wyl Held at Duke University Durham, North Carolina. May 12-16 1987
Rössler, Otto E.: Mikro-Konstruktivismus. In: Lab -- Yearbook of the Academy of Media Art Cologne 95/96, 208-227.
Schulz, H.S.: Hofmannsthal and Bacon. The Sources of the 'Chandos Letter´ . In: CL, 13, 1961, S.1-15.
Weyl, Hermann: Philosophie der Mathematik und Naturwissenschaft. München: Oldenbourg 1966.
Weyl, Hermann: The open world -- Three lectures on the metaphysical implications of science. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1932.
Weyl, Hermann: Wissenschaft als symbolische Konstruktion des Menschen. In: Eranos-Jahrbuch 1948, 375-431 (1949) .
04.07-- Abstract No:977
COTTERILL has revived and expanded the motor theory of consciousness (JCS1995. 96. 97) suggesting the motor output as probing the environment and the sensory input as a feedback in conscious perception. This probing or RADAR function should be extended to the mesodermic vascular system. .
Previous research in vascular medicine, chronobiology and holoenergetics has suggested that the vascular system is a gravitational interferometer allowing intrinsic temporal coding (J Ratte 1993) . This background prompted the hypothesis that the mesodermic vascular network is a gravitational computer, the ectodermic tissues such as nervous system and sensory organs detect E Mwawes, the mesodemic tissues such as muscular and vascular systems detecting pericorporeal gravitational wawes. (Research Abstracts Tucson 2 #330. p132)
Consciousness is like an interferometry, a measure, a comparison between a referent and a variable, between interior and exterior.
Biology shows that we cannot be receivers if we are not transmitters. Oscillatory movements of receptor surfaces are critical to perception;saccadic nystagmoid movements of retina in vision of E M wawes, respiratory movements in olfactive detection of chemical gradients, movements of cochlear cells in hearing acoustic wawes and tremor for touch. The vascular oscillatory movements and plethysmographic variations are, likely, necessary to detect gravitational wawes. Put another way, the human body detects only variations or differences or discontinuities. It detects only the second derivative like acceleration, not speed or a continuous bruit. A signal is always a variation.
The principle of equivalence between gravitation and acceleration allows one to understand that the muscular systemdetects gravitational gradients and achieves spatial coding while the mesodermic cardiovascular system realizes temporal coding due to its auto-oscillatory movements. Consciousness is spatial and temporal coding-decoding or pattern recognition. This role is not limited to ectodermic nervous system and sensory organs but also to mesodemic tissues which can in a blindsight way resonate to and detect spatial patterns or morphemes such as hieroglyphes, ideograms or pictograms.
This mesodermic reading, without transfert of E M energy agrees with the principle of L M Vincent that in biology, information is not constituted of probalistic events but is pattern or form recognition. The cardiovascular system acts as a resonant cavity, like a Fabry-Perot interferometer producing laser emission. The embryo of drosophilia shows subradiance or superradiance phenomena after exposure to light. Our hypothesis that the vascular system produces also emission of gravitational wawes and can consequently detect them, stems out of the clinical phenomenon of holoenergetic vascular resonance as observed in clinical practice.
The common topology of the early neural tube and of the cardiac tube allows a resonance between ectoderm and mesoderm.
There is no available technology to document this claim, but when it becomes available, the landscape of biological study of consciousness will be changed because the nervous system is only one limb of the interferometric loop.
04.07-- Abstract No:1044
Research has documented anomalous organization of random events generated by an electronic random events generator (REG) during various group situations that promote group consciousness experiences (Nelson et al, 1996; Radin et al, 1996) . These experiments propose that discernible "consciousness fields" may be detected using portable FieldREG systems. Consciousness fields may be similar to "qi fields" proposed by scientists in China to explain anomalous variations of certain properties of physical systems influenced by consciousness (Yan Xin et al, 1988) . Western scientists have hypothesized that "high degrees of attention, intellectual cohesiveness, shared emotion, or other coherent qualities of groups tend to correlate with statistically unusual deviations from theoretical expectations in the FieldREG sequences" (Nelson et al, 1996) .
A group situation hypothesized to promote an intense group consciousness experience was an international qigong conference. Over 2500 invited guests, scientists and practitioners from many countries attended the 1997 International Yan Xin Qigong Practice and Research Conference in New York City on August 30 - September 1. The conference was organized to promote the study of Traditional Chinese Qigong for the benefits of individual and societal health. Three basic REG predictions were evaluated: (1) the null hypothesis, (2) deviations from randomness would be observed during the days and would disappear during the nights, (3) deviations from randomness would be observed during the days and continue during the nights (predicted by Chinese scientists YX, ZS, and LS to reflect "accumulating Qi over the entire meeting" - since many practitioners report continuing group practice and activities during the night and purport sleeping little or not at all during the period of the meetings) .
Three days and two nights of FieldREG data were collected prior to, during, and following the conference. During the conference, a total of 234, 412 trials of 200 samples per second reflecting 1's and 0's (100 1's would be expected to occur by chance per second on the average) were collected by a PEAR computerized FieldREG system and stored for later analysis. The FieldREG system was located at the convention center on days 1 and 3 (when all participants met as a single group, and at the hotel of GS and SR on nights 1 and 2 and day 2 (when participants met in multiple parallel sessions) . Over the three days and two nights, the FieldREG revealed a tendency for the number of 1's to increase (the z score yeild p = .070) . When the three days and two nights were analyzed in terms of trials above versus below chance (100) , all five segments showed relative increases (the t score yield p = .023) . Moreover, the observed segment means for the three days and two nights were slightly and consistently higher than 100 (t score yeilded p = .045) . These patterns were not observed during the pre and post conference control days and nights. The data provide tentative support for the hypothesis that an intense group experience that continues over a three day period may create a consciousness field that con be discerned using the FieldREG paradigm. Implications for western theories of group consciousness and complimentary eastern theories of qi information and energy are considered to inform future research.
04.07-- Abstract No:1068
Biological living matter displays a variety of subtle phenomena which most probably cannot be explained merely by biomolecular processes. Among these phenomena, we mention informational processes (transport, procession and storage of information) and evolutionary processes in living organisms (e.g. mitosis and morfogenesis) . Yet such phenomena can be better understood by introducing the concept of biofield. Biofield